Greene County Democrat

Category: General News

  • Newswire : Canada’s Africville finally gets recognized


    Africville residents in Nova Scotia, Canada

    By: Blackmansstreet Today

    Africville, a community founded by Black people in Nova Scotia, Canada, finally received recognition decades after the government destroyed it.
    In 2010, the mayor of Halifax issued a formal apology for the destruction of Africville,
    acknowledging the injustices faced by its residents.
    In 2024, Africville was designated as Canada’s first UNESCO Place of History and Memory linked to
    enslavement and the slave trade, highlighting its importance in Canadian history.
    The Africville Museum now serves to commemorate the community’s legacy and educate future generations about its history and the ongoing struggle for racial equality in Canada.

    Africville remains a powerful symbol of resilience and the fight against racism, representing the broader narrative of Black history in Canada.
    The community has become an important symbol of Black Canadian identity, as an example of the “urban renewal” trend of the 1960s that razed similarly racialized neighborhoods across Canada, and the struggle against racism.
    Africville was founded in 1848 in Halifax, Nova Scotia, by Black refugees who arrived during and after the War of 1812. They were formerly enslaved African Americans who escaped from the United States and were resettled in Nova Scotia by the British. The town was founded along the southern shore of Bedford Basin.
    But they were not welcome. During the 20th century, Halifax neglected the community, failing to provide basic infrastructure and services such as roads, water, and sewerage. Africville residents, however, paid taxes.
    At the same time, Halifax continued to use the area as a prison, mental health facility, and an industrial waste site.
    The residents of Africville struggled with poverty and poor health conditions as a result, and the community’s buildings deteriorated.
    During the late 1960s, the City of Halifax condemned the area, relocating its residents to newer housing to facilitate the development of the nearby A. Murray MacKay Bridge, related highway construction, and the Port of Halifax facilities at Fairview Cove to the west. The residents’ belongings were loaded into garbage trucks and hauled to their destination.
    Soon after this, former residents and activists began a long protest on the site against their treatment and the destruction.
    In 1996, the site was designated a National Historic Site of Canada, representative of Black Canadian settlements in the province, and an enduring symbol of the need for vigilance in defense of their communities and institutions.
    After decades of protests, the government agreed to compensate descendants and their families who had been evicted from the area. In addition, an Africville Heritage Trust was established to design a museum and build a replica of the community church.

  • Newswire : Alabama Congresspersons join most of the Congressional Black Caucus in voting against resolution honoring Charlie Kirk

    Congresspersons Terri Sewell and Shomari Figures of Alabama

    By Lauren Burke, NNPA Congressional Correspondent

     

    Members of the Congressional Black Caucus were split on the question of whether Charlie Kirk, a rightwing commentator with controversial views on race, should be honored by a lengthy Republican-penned resolution in his honor.
    The final vote tells part of the story. All Republicans who voted, 215, voted in favor of the Kirk Resolution (with four missing the vote) along with 95 Democrats. Fifty-eight Democrats voted against the Kirk Resolution and 38 members, all Democrats, voted “present.” The most interesting tally of the vote one the Kirk Resolution was the number of members of the U.S. House who “missed” the vote: 26. Members of the Congressional Black Caucus who voted in favor of honoring Charlie Kirk were Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-BY), Reps. Don Davis (D-NC), Greg Meeks (D-NY) and David Scott (D-NY). Two members of the CBC didn’t vote: Reps. Marc Veasey (D-TX) and Joe Neguse (D-CO). All other Black Caucus members voted “NO” on the Kirk resolution or “present.”
    Members of the Congressional Black Caucus were split on the question of whether Charlie Kirk, a rightwing commentator with controversial views on race, should be honored by a lengthy Republican-penned resolution in his honor.
    Leadership pressured several members of Congress to “take a walk” rather than vote NO to honoring Kirk. All three members of the Democratic leadership, Leader Jeffries, Democratic Whip Rep. Katherine Clark, and Democratic Caucus Chairman Rep. Pete Aguilar, voted YES on the Kirk Resolution.
    Despite Kirk’s murder at 31, which was captured on a shocking video widely shared on social media, many elected officials and political observers have noted Kirk’s many controversial statements over the years. Kirk was shot as he spoke on the first stop of a college tour at Orem, Utah Valley University. Kirk’s violent public murder has prompted Republicans to leverage his death into a way to punish anyone critical of Kirk or who spoke out about the irony of his death, given his pro-second amendment public statements. A website has been set up by his supporters listing anyone who has made any statement of controversy that Kirk supporters deem problematic.
    The Republican-written Kirk Resolution included statements against political violence. “How you die does not redeem how you lived. I do not celebrate anyone’s murder. Charlie Kirk did not deserve to be murdered. But I’m overwhelmed to see the nation’s flag fly and half-staff for a man who was a proud racist who spent his entire life sowing seeds of division and hatred into this land,” said Pastor Dr. Howard-John Wesley during his Sunday sermon at Alfred Street Baptist Church on Sept. 14.
    Wesley’s sermon has gone viral on social media with millions of views. “We must condemn violence without abandoning our right to speak out against ideas that are inconsistent with our values as Americans. We strongly disagree with many of the beliefs Charlie Kirk promoted: including his belief that the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which ended racial segregation, was a mistake; his denial that systemic racism exists; his promotion of the Great Replacement theory; and his offensive claims about Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, Michelle Obama, and Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee lacking adequate cognitive ability,” wrote the Congressional Black Caucus in their official statement released after the vote on Sept. 19.
    Kirk made negative statements about Ivy League graduates U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice Jackson, journalist Joy Reid, the late Congressman Sheila Jackson Lee, and former First Lady Michelle Obama, implying that all of the Harvard Law, Harvard College, and Princeton graduates were successful because of affirmative action. In relation to the criticism of the accomplished Black women, Kirk said on his show in July 2023 that, “Black women do not have brain processing power to be taken seriously. You have to go steal a white person’s slot.”
    “The resolution introduced in the House to honor Charlie Kirk’s legacy is not about healing, lowering the temperature of our political discourse, or even ensuring the safety of members of Congress, staff, and Capitol personnel. It is, unfortunately, an attempt to legitimize Kirk’s worldview — a worldview that includes ideas many Americans find racist, harmful, and fundamentally un-American,”
    The Congressional Black Caucus statement further stated. In a moment when Republicans remain against any prohibitions on assault weapons or any other firearms. One of Kirk’s most notable phrases has been posted by many on social media. “Having an armed citizenry comes with a price, and that is part of liberty… We need to be very clear that you’re not going to get gun deaths to zero. It will not happen. But I think it’s worth it. I think it’s worth it to have a cost of, unfortunately, some gun deaths every single year, so that we can have the Second Amendment,” Kirk once said.

  • Newswire: Democrats dig in: Healthcare at the center of looming Shutdown fight

    Hypertension In Older Age. Young Female Medical Worker Measuring Arterial Blood Pressure Of Senior Black Man Using Cuff, Patient Having Problems With Tension, Sitting At Table. Health Care Concept

    By Stacy M. Brown
Black Press USA Senior National Correspondent

     

    The air in Washington has grown thick with a familiar tension, the kind that precedes the shuttering of government offices and the silencing of paychecks for thousands of workers. Yet at the heart of this looming shutdown lies something far greater than partisan brinkmanship: a ferocious fight for the soul of America’s healthcare.
    Democrats have planted themselves firmly in the path of what they call a reckless assault on Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act. They are not speaking in the language of compromise this time. They are speaking in the cadence of survival—for the poor, the sick, the disabled, and the working families who stand to see their coverage ripped away.
    Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer warned of what was at stake. “Senators will have to choose: to stand with Donald Trump and keep the same lousy status quo and cause the Trump healthcare shutdown, or stand with the American people, protect their healthcare, and keep the government functioning,” he said. House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries framed the fight with defiance. “We don’t work for Donald Trump, we don’t work for JD Vance, we don’t work for Elon Musk, we work for the American people. And that is why we are a hard no on the partisan Republican spending bill because it continues to gut the healthcare of everyday Americans,” he stated.
    In their joint letter to President Trump, Schumer and Jeffries accused him of deliberately courting a shutdown to “gut the healthcare of the American people.” They wrote, “We do not understand why you prefer to shut down the government rather than protect the healthcare and quality of life of the American people,” they stated.  Journalist Karen Tumulty analyzed the Democrats’ approach, noting that the minority party, though constrained in power, is wielding rare leverage in this moment.
    They have tied their stand to demands that strike at the heart of Trump’s agenda: restoring Medicaid funds slashed earlier this year, extending Affordable Care Act subsidies that are set to expire, and halting the administration’s freeze on appropriated dollars. Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland cut to the essence of Democratic resistance. “I’m not going to write a blank check for a lawless president. That is my starting point here,” he said.
    The stakes, Democrats argue, are not abstract. They warn that millions could see premiums soar, hospitals and clinics could close, and the poorest communities—urban and rural alike—could be left without care. In Delaware, Sen. Chris Coons described how both the most urban and most rural hospitals in his state depend heavily on Medicaid. “Part of our challenge is lots of people haven’t felt that yet, but they will next month,” he said.
    The president has brushed aside these warnings, saying there may be “a closed country for a period of time,” even as he pledged to shield the military and Social Security checks, he stated. Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker made clear where he stands. “I’m on Team Fight. You don’t think Republicans would use every ounce of leverage they would have in this circumstance?” he said. For Democrats, the fight is not just about numbers on a spreadsheet, but about what kind of nation America chooses to be. They are wagering that voters, when confronted with rising costs and shuttered care, will see the struggle not as political theater but as a line drawn in defense of their health and their dignity.

  • Greene County gathers for National Night Out & Big Backyard BBQ

    The Eutaw Police Department, in conjunction with the Greene County Health System Foundation, Inc., hosted the Biggest & Best National Day/Night Out & A Big Backyard BBQ on September 9, 2025, at the Old Carver Middle School field. Great food and family fun activities including Bouncy House, Mechanical Bull, Games and great food, with day/night entertainment including: Music by DJ Birdman, Gospel Music Featuring the Greene County Mass Choir, Live Concert with Ken Bausno and John Hall. Citizens came out to show their support for their local hospital, police department, and community. All donation are tax deductible. GCHS Foundation,Inc. Cash App $GCHSF25.

  • School Board holds FY 2026 Budgetary Hearings

    School Board President authorized to consult State Superintendent Mackey to secure interim superintendent for Greene County

    The Greene County School Board held its monthly meeting on Friday, September 12, 2025, at 4:30 pm, following the board’s second public Budget Hearing, FY 2026. Board members present were President Leo Branch, Vice President Veronica Richardson, Board Members Carrie Dancy and Robert Davis. The minutes of the August 18 regular meeting and the August 27, emergency called meeting were approved.
    When the board returned from executive session, President Branch noted that Dr. Jones’ resignation is effective September 30, 2025 and asked for a motion regarding securing an interim superintendent for the school system. Ms. Carrie Dancy moved that the board authorize President Branch to interact with State Superintendent, Dr. Eric Mackey regarding appointment of an interim superintendent. Mr. Robert Davis gave the second. The motion passes on a vote of 3-1, with Ms. Veronica Richardson voting no. The board did not discuss plans for a new superintendent search. In previous instances, the Greene County School Board has engaged the Alabama Association of School Boards (AASB) to assist in that process.
    The board approved the following personnel items recommended by Superintendent Jones.
    * Additional Service Contracts 2025 – 2026 for the following employees at Greene County High School: (Separate Contract): Asst. Football Coach – Zaddrick Smith; Offensive Coordinator – Devin Woods.
    * Update to additional services salary matrix.
    * Employment of Ms. Dorothy Powell as substitute cook.
    * Permission to pay the following for any approved College and Career Readiness (CCR) activities for school year 2025 – 2026: Hourly rate of $30.00 per hour for after school activities/events and $250 per day for all day college and industry tours: Pamela McGee; Victoria Moore; Tweila Morris; Lorissa Holder.
    * Employment of the following Teacher Mentors for the 2025 – 2026 school year: LaShaun Henley; Danielle Williams; Sarah Crawford; Annie Howard; Carleene Garnett; Kathryne Soule; Lorissa Holder.
    Social Studies Textbook Adoption Committee 2025 – 2026: Rebecca Coleman – Textbook Coordinator District Office; Barbara Martin – Curriculum Coordinator District Office; LaShaun Henley – Teacher-3rd Grade EPS; Sarah Crawford – Teacher-2nd Grade EPS; Annie Howard – Teacher-4th Grade RBMS; Demetris Lyles – Teacher-6th Grade RBMS; Eulas Kirtdoll Teacher – 7th & 8th Grade RBMS; Clifford Reynolds – Teacher GCHS; Patricia Maiden – Teacher GCHS; Akira Spencer – Parent EPS; Kadijah Hunter – Parent RBMS; Veronica Jones – Parent GCHS.
    The board approved the following administrative items recommended by Dr. Jones.
    * Out of state travel for Dr. Charlayne Jordan to attend the International Association for Truancy & Dropout Prevention Annual Conference Oct. 19-22, 2025, in Memphis, TN.
    * Out of state travel for the following to attend VISION Conference in Nashville, TN on December 9-12, 2025: LaMonica Little; Lorissa Holder; Shamyra Jones; Tamika Thompson. 
    * Out of state travel for 11th & 12th grade students and chaperons to attend Jackson State High School Day on November 15, 2025, in Jackson, MS.
    * Quote from Play & Park Structures for outdoor seating at each school site in the amount of $35,859.43.
    * Quote from RTI for the purchase of Chromebooks for Eutaw Primary School in the amount of $54,240 (Quote# tb 138302 v1), effective September 1, 2025.
    * Quote from RTI for the purchase of Chromebooks for Eutaw Primary School in the amount of $54,240 (Quote# tb 136625 v1), effective August 1, 2025.
    * Proposal from Criterion Consulting LLC for Administrator Evaluation Support Services for the 2025 – 2026 school year.
    * Permission for Sarah Foster owner/operator of BC Transport Services to transport individuals during sporting events.
    * Payment of all bills, claims, and payroll.
    Bank reconciliations as submitted by Mrs. Marquita Lennon, CSFO.
    CSFO, Marquita Lennon presented the following snapshot as of August 31, 2025. Operating reserves totaled 7.50 months for combined general fund and 7.40 months for cash reserve. All bank accounts have been reconciled. General fund bank balance totaled $8,98,873.92. This reconciles to the summary cash report. Accounts payable check register totaled $947,357.49; payroll register totaled $955,620.51, with a combined ending fund balance of $8,216,111.40.
    Local Revenue reported as follows: Property taxes – $23,249.38; Sales taxes – $130,283.50; Other taxes – $9,849.11. Greene County Racing Commission distributed $210,000 for quarters 1 and 2 of 2025. Total local revenue – $373,381.99.

    Budget Hearing FY 2026

    The Greene County School System held the required public Budget Hearings for FY 2026 on September 10 and 12, 2025 in the Central Office. CSFO Marquita Lennon presented the budget report with projected revenues of $16,356,448.43 and total expenditures at $16, 882,284.32 and an ending general fund balance of $6,217,564.19.
    Ms. Lennon provided the following budgetary highlights:
    * Capital Funding increased by $6,234.
    * Mill local match decreased by $180,000.
    Insurance increased from $9,600 per year per employee in FY 2025 to $10,848 per employee per year in FY 2026.
    Transportation funding increased by $158,712.
    Student enrollment for FY 2026 is 831.5; in FY 2025 student enrollment was 855.7.`
    For FY 2026 State Foundation Program supports 59.14 Units; in 2025 the Foundation Program supported 61.90 Units. In FY 2025, the school system had 145.05 employees; in Fy 2026, the system has150.53 employees. For FY 2026, the State Foundation Program is providing $7,399,474; the local match is $1,571,466. Total for State Foundation Program – $5,884,054.
    The RAiSE ACT funding for FY 2026 totals $174,568, which will contribute support for the At-Risk Coordinator; Gifted Program; English as a Second Language; and Special Education funding.
    Additional State funding of $616,241 in FY 2026 will contribute to Alabama Reading Initiative; OSR Pre-School; State Special Education Preschool; Math Coaches; JAG; Career Coach. Major local funding for FY 2026 totals $2,675,000.
    Federal Funding, FY 2026, totals $1,856,274 with Title I supporting, at Eutaw Primary School, 1 teacher, 50% counselor; overage for Math coach and ARI Specialist; at Robert Brown Middle School – 3 teachers, 1 aide and overage of the Math Coach; at Greene County High – 1.25 teachers and 50% for Assistant Principal.
    Title II supports 1 teacher at RBMS; Title IV supports band materials, supplies & Equipment, Safety Coordinator training; Title V supports Peer Helpers, Parent Teacher Leadership Academy and truancy and safety. Federal funds also supports Career Tech.
    For more particulars on FY 2026 State Funds, Federal Funds and Local Funds and the budgetary allocations for these, contact Ms. Marquita Lennon, CSFO for the Greene County School System.

     

     

     

  • Eutaw City Council holds regular meeting on September 9th

    The Eutaw City Council held its regular meeting on Tuesday, September 9, 2025. Mayor Pro Temp, Tracey Hunter, presided in the absence of Mayor Latasha Johnson. All other councilmembers were present for the first meeting since the May 2nd certification of election results.
    Corey Cockrell was elected Mayor of Eutaw in the August 26th municipal elections defeating incumbent Mayor Johnson by 526 to 417 votes. Council members for Districts 1, 2 and 3 – Valerie Watkins, Jonathan Woodruff and Tracie Hunter, were re-elected. Carrie Logan was elected to the District 5 council position. The newly elected Mayor and City Council will take office on November 1, 2025.
    There is a run-off election in District 4 on next Tuesday, September 23, 2025, between Lorenzo French and Sarah Duncan Brewer. The polling place for District 4 is the Presbyterian Church, which will be open 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM, for all eligible voters in District 4.
    In new business, the Eutaw City Council:
    • Approve Resolution No. 2025-12 appointing Johnnie M. Knott as Acting Absentee Manager, for the dates of September 16 for and 17, 2025, with a compensation of $125 a day.
    • Approved registration, travel, lodging and per diem for Councilmembers Valerie Watkins and Tracey Hunter to attend the Alabama Association of Regional Councils in Point Clear, Alabama on October 26-29, 2025. R
    • Approved registration and meals for Officer Tyler Johnson to attend Alabama Canine Law Enforcement Training in Northport, Alabama on September 9-15,2025.
    • Approved Restaurant Liquor License for Bayou Blue Cajun Bristo, LLC which was previously operated by the Cajun Café Restaurant,
    • Approved payment of bills.
    • Agreed to cancel the next regular meeting on September 23, due to the Run-off election and to schedule a meeting at Noon on September 30, 2025, to certify the results of the run-off election.

    Councilwoman Valerie Watkins reported standing water on Brown and Roebuck streets and in the 200 block of Chambers Court, this water may indicate a water leak for the city employees to repair.
    Joe Powell, Assistant Clerk, gave all the council members and newly elected members, an information sheet from the Alabama League of Municipalities about require training for municipal officials. Under Alabama Law 2024-194, all city officials are required to complete 10 hours of training annually for a total of 40 hours in their first term in office, starting January 1, 2025. Officials must complete a core curriculum of 20 hours comprised of twenty specific trainings from an approved list.

  • Newswire : African Union joins Group of 20

    By Blackmansstreet Today

     

    African Union joined the Group of 20, also known as the G20, which could have major implications for Africa’s role in global geopolitics.

    As the continent faces various challenges, ranging from climate change to political instability and economic inequality, experts disagree on how big an impact G20 membership will have as the AU joins 20 of the world’s largest economies.

    Seven African countries have experienced military-led coups since 2020, most recently Gabon and Niger, raising questions about political stability, the lack of which makes it harder to address pressing issues like terrorism and food shortages in many countries.

    Permanent G20 membership signals the rise of a continent whose young population of 1.3 billion is set to double by 2050 and make up a quarter of the planet’s people.

     

  • Newswire : Warning: HBCUs under credible threats

    Clark Atlanta University

    By April Ryan, NNPA Corespondent

     


    Multiple Historically Black Colleges and Universities are on lockdown and or canceling classes due to what are called “credible threats.”
    Spelman, Clark Atlanta, Southern University A and M College, Bethune Cookman, Alabama State, Virginia State, and Hampton University are taking precautionary actions amid threats. Clarke University in Atlanta currently has a “shelter in place” order.  These threats came a day after the deadly shooting of Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University.
    Reverand William Barber of Repairer of the Breach, in a written statement, says, “We are facing a dangerous moment in our nation—violence should not be justified when we disagree with someone’s politics, nor should it be justified to use lethal force and military power to repress vulnerable communities.” Regarding the threat against the HBCU campuses, the schools listed in this article decided to lock down and cancel classes after receiving threats.
    North Carolina Congresswoman Alma Adams, Founder and Co-Chair of the Bipartisan, Bicameral HBCU Caucus, expressed, “I am distressed to learn that colleges and universities across the country are being forced into lockdown due to credible threats of violence against their campuses. I am actively monitoring these situations and am praying for the safety of everyone.”
    Reverend Al Sharpton of the National Action Network says his organization is also monitoring the recent threats against these HBCUs, emphasizing, “We have seen too much violence on our campuses, whether it was the brazen murder of Charlie Kirk yesterday or the threats against these HBCUs today.”  The civil rights leader stressed, “Colleges and Universities should be a place of free expression and debate in a way that’s respectful, engaging, and productive.” He emphasized that “what we have seen in the last two days is anything but that.”

    In 2022, the FBI offered HBCU’s security training after a series of large-scale bomb threats against HBCUs during Black History Month that year.

  • Newswire : Columnist Karen Attiah fired at The Washington Post 

    Karen Attiah

    By Lauren Burke, NNPA Congressional Correspondent

     

    Washington Post opinion editor Karen Attiah posted on her Substack, The Golden Hour, that she was fired last week by The Washington Post. According to Attiah, she was the last full-time Black opinion columnist at The Post, where she was employed for 11 years
    Other Black Washington Post staffers in senior positions who have recently departed, via the recent buyout round, include Monica Norton and Krissah Thompson. “Once many Black reporters, editors, and columnists at the upper ranks of Washington Post, but now: Courtland Milloy, Krissah Thompson, Eugene Robinson, Joe Davidson, Vanessa Williams, Ovetta Wiggins, Darryl Fears, Monica Norton, Perry Bacon, Jonathan Capehart, gone ~ soon Colby King,” wrote Vincent Morris on July 23 on social media. Morris is a former spokesperson for Sen. Bernie Sanders, who was also a media columnist.
    Though the Black population in Washington, DC, has decreased from 70 percent in 1980 to 40 percent in 2020, the District of Columbia has a substantial Black population at 40 percent as of 2020. The news regarding Attiah emerged on the morning of Sept. 15 after Attiah wrote a lengthy description of her side of the events.
    They included the disclosure that she was fired because of a social media post related to controversial conservative activist Charlie Kirk, who was shot to death on Sept. 10 in Orem, Utah, during an appearance at Utah Valley University. “I was the last remaining Black full-time opinion columnist at the Post, in one of the nation’s most diverse regions,” Attiah wrote. “Washington D.C. no longer has a paper that reflects the people it serves. What happened to me is part of a broader purge of Black voices from academia, business, government, and media — a historical pattern as dangerous as it is shameful — and tragic,” she added.
    Since the start of President Trump’s second term in January, there has been a forced exodus of Black federal officials and a push by Trump’s Administration to end any police related to “diversity” or “inclusion.” Prominent Black officials have been pushed out, including the Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden, who was fired in May, and General Charles Q. Brown Jr., who was removed in February. Republicans have also moved to defund the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) — moving to less regulation. The departure of Attiah for The Post is yet another sign that a rightward shift is underway in legacy media.
    “The Washington Post Guild condemns the unjust firing of columnist Karen Attiah. The Washington Post wrongly fired Opinions columnist Karen Attiah over her social media posts. The Post not only flagrantly disregarded standard disciplinary processes, it also undermined its own mandate to be a champion of free speech. The right to speak freely is the ultimate personal liberty and the foundation of Karen’s 11-year career at The Post,” wrote The Washington Post Guild on social media.
    The Washington Post is owned by Jeff Bezos, the billionaire owner of Amazon, the retail on-line marketing giant. Bezos and other billionaires appeared on the platform at President Donald Trump’s second inauguration and their influence has expanded as their politics turned rightward.

  • Newswire : Remembering the Four Little Girls

    Four Spirits Sculpture in Kelly Ingram Park in Birmingham, across the street from 16th. Baptist Church, the two boys killed on the same day, were added later.

    By April Ryan, NNPA White House Correspondent

     

    It is 62 years later after the death of the four little girls in the bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama, just weeks after the August 28, 1963, March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.
    Democratic, Alabama Congresswoman Terri Sewell said this anniversary reminds us to reflect on issues our forefathers fought for during the most powerful movement in this nation: civil rights, voting rights, and civil liberties. Twelve years ago, the four little girls received the Congressional Gold Medal posthumously: Addie Mae Collins, Dennis McNair, Cynthia Wesley, and Carol Robertson.

    Shavon Arline-Bradley of the National Council of Negro Women says we are commemorating one of the most gruesome acts of violence in our country’s history, where 4 Black Girls from Birmingham, AL lost their lives at the hands of White Supremacists.” Dr. Amos Brown, pastor of the Third Baptist Church of San Francisco, says of the heinous, deadly bombing that there was “no respect for our humanity,” feeling the crime emphasizes “they don’t see us as being human.”

    Bradley also articulated,” Their sacrifice sparked the nation to come to grips with the harsh realities of what it meant to be Black in America.” The children were in church during the Sunday School hour when, “These innocent young girls sought to learn more about their faith and how to love thy neighbor as themselves,” when the deadly explosion occurred, adds Arline Bradley.

    She also said, “Today, as we celebrate their contribution to the freedoms we enjoy today, let us be reminded that we shall overcome and victory belongs to those of us that fight for liberty and justice for all.” Meanwhile, there is a fifth survivor, Sara Collins Rudolph,  Addie Mae’s sister, who lost her eyes and carries scars from the bombing.

    Two young boys Virgil Ware and Johnny Robinson were also killed the same day in other parts of Birmingham and history has chosen to recognize them as part of the ‘hidden history’ of civil rights in the city.